Here I Am
It was a big, unexpected surprise to witness gospel veteran Marvin Sapp burst from the shadows and into the mainstream of pop culture. While the modestly successful soloist was once a background member of the impressive urban gospel group Commissioned, one of the few best-selling Christian acts of that age, nothing prepared anyone for Sapp being […]
Protocol (Reissue)
During the 1980s, Carl Anderson’s immense talent was only matched by the wild inconsistency of the music he released. His debut album, Absence Without Love, was a major disappointment for fans who had waited nearly a decade after his seminal performance as Judas in the blockbuster movie Jesus Christ Superstar. And the follow up album, On […]
New Moon Born
New Moon Born, Jana Mashonee’s new album, is an earnest, serious and passionate work. Reading the statement that appears on the final page of the packet of liner notes totally explains the appropriateness of my use of those three adjectives. Mashonee, who is Native American, uses a portion of that page to introduce listeners to […]
The Prelude
Tekitha, the in-house vocalist for imperial East Coast rap group Wu-Tang Clan and the occasional voice fronting club jams by UK electronica wizard Armand Van Helden, is prepping the release of her debut album. Until then, she’s delivered The Prelude, a seven-track introductory EP showcasing Tekitha’s taste buds for an unusually wide range of genres […]
Something About the Girl
One thing that can be said about Jean Paul "Bluey" Maunick is that he knows talent. Scores of talented vocalists and musicians have performed with Incognito, Bluey’s best-known group. They include more than a few great female singers such as Jocelyn Brown and most notably Maysa Leak. Leak and Brown have the kind of biographies […]
Jus Let It Flo
In London , we like to believe that we have a vibrant spoken word and music scene which could hold its own against the likes of those in Atlanta , D.C. and the Tri-State area. Packed with artists full of promise, and eager to make a name for themselves either by getting a record deal […]
Born 2 Sing
Harlem-based singer Rokeem Pough (a.k.a. Rok) has a keen sense of melody and an unassuming but very effective voice that carry his debut album, Born 2 Sing, to surprisingly high places. Sounding like a softer-toned Fred Hammond, Rok breezes nicely through a series of catchy tracks, all highlighted by great vocal arrangements. Songs like "Tell […]
At The Revival
Linking quartet gospel to soul music is easy. Before becoming a pop sensation and birthing the earliest of soul, Sam Cooke first led the Soul Stirrers through big hits like "Jesus Be a Fence," "Be With Me Jesus" and "Touch the Hem of His Garment." Cooke was not alone, Lou Rawls and Bobby Womack crossed […]
Love and Understanding
Sometimes hip-hop intense record companies surround their mostly male-dominated rosters with soulful female vocalists. Back in the day, there was Michel’le for Death Row Records and Faith Evans for Bad Boy. Then there is Joyo Velarde, a frequent vocal collaborator with Quannum Projects (originally known as Solesides), founded by the underground rapper Lyrics Born in […]
Unreleased – Vol. 1, 1978-85 (2010)
The songs Randy Muller put on his latest compilation album have never been heard – hence the title Unreleased-Vol. 1 (1978-85). In a sense, these tunes are very familiar. Muller wrote nine of Unreleased’s 11 tracks for other groups and individuals he worked with at the same time he was producing hit records for B.T. […]
